Nick Foligno

Lore & Background

Foligno's father, Mike Foligno, is a veteran of over 1,000 career NHL games, while his brother, Marcus Foligno, is his teammate on the Wild. As a youth, Foligno played in the 2000 and 2001 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a minor ice hockey team from Hershey, Pennsylvania. He began the 2003–04 season with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program's under-17 team, then moved up to the under-18 team. After his tenure with the Development Program, Foligno joined the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), who were coached by his father. He played three seasons with the Wolves, leading the club in points in 2005–06 and scoring a team-high 31 goals and 88 points in 2006–07. The Ottawa Senators selected Foligno with the 28th overall pick in the 2006 NHL entry draft. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract on March 21, 2007. Foligno spent time with the Binghamton Senators of the AHL during the 2007–08 season, but played most of that season with Ottawa. He scored his first career NHL goal on October 18, 2007, against Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens. Foligno played for the Senators through the 2011–12 season. On July 1, 2012, he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Marc Methot. Four days after acquiring him, Columbus signed Foligno to a three-year contract worth a reported $9.15 million. Foligno was named captain of the Blue Jackets on May 20, 2015, becoming the sixth captain in team history. On April 11, 2021, Foligno was involved in a three-team trade to eventually end up with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His short tenure in Toronto was marred with injury. The source article does not specify when Foligno joined the Minnesota Wild.

In Their Own Story

The ice at Nationwide Arena was slick with fatigue as the third period wound down. The crowd, a sea of blue, held its breath. Nick Foligno skated forward, his chest heaving, eyes locked on the puck. He didn't look like a man chasing stats; he looked like a man fighting for his city. As the opposing defender closed in, Foligno absorbed the hit, absorbing the pain that had become his trademark, and buried the shot past the goalie. The arena erupted, not just for the goal, but for the sheer refusal to quit that defined the captain's career.

Reader's Guide

Foligno is a left winger for the Minnesota Wild. He has played for the Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins (though the source article cuts off before detailing his time with the Bruins). He was selected 28th overall in the 2006 NHL entry draft. Foligno scored his first career NHL hat-trick on April 4, 2015, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He recorded his second career hat trick on February 25, 2016, against the New Jersey Devils. On February 7, 2021, he scored his 200th career goal.

Did You Know?

• Foligno's father, Mike, coached him with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL.
• Foligno performed his father's noted goal celebration, the 'Foligno Leap', after scoring his first NHL goal.
• Foligno was named a captain for one of the teams at the 2015 NHL All-Star Game, but his team lost 17–12.
• Foligno was suspended three games in November 2019 for elbowing Colorado Avalanche forward Pierre-Édouard Bellemare.